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Wednesday, 9 July 2014

Summer is here at last, so it's time to dust off the bar-b-q, find the firelighters and off we go!

But this year, instead of buying some floppy stale burgers, make some lovely, tasty sliders instead! They take time (18-24 hours) but so does a bar-b-q, so come and join me.

Sliders are slightly smaller buns. You would usually serve two at a time, or three if you really want to go for it. And why shouldn't you! As they are made of brioche dough, they have a lovely sweetness and a rich crust. Yum!

The reason they take so long is because they're made from brioche dough. Traditionally, this dough requires at least five hours in the fridge so it can man up and be shaped. (Although there are lots of variations on this, including a great recipe by James Morton, which takes approximately three hours to make. We teach this way at our Sweetened Dough Class - check it out!)

I turned to Paul Hollywood in his rather super tome, Bread (I wonder why he chose that title?), which has a fab Satsuma and Chocolate Brioche recipe in it. So, I threw out all the chocolatey and orange bits and forged ahead!

I also borrowed some bits from Rachel Khoo too. That's us blackbirds, always nicking ideas - similar to magpies but a bit more honest!

Finally, I used the dough hook for this one. You could stir by hand (or spoon) but it would take a lot longer!

Sunny day sliders

Makes 12

250g White bread flour

3g Salt

30g Caster sugar

5g Fast action dried yeast

80ml tepid milk

3 eggs

130g unsalted butter, room temp, in cubes

Combine the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a bowl.

Warm up the milk and add to the bowl, followed by the eggs. Combine for 2 minutes, then add the butter one cube at a time, until there are no lumps left in the dough. About 5 more minutes.

Scrape any excess dough on the side of the bowl back into the bowl, cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for a minimum of five hours. I left mine overnight. It enjoyed a good night's sleep!

Remove the dough. Don't let it return to room temp while in the bowl, so remove the dough from the bowl and place upon a lightly floured surface (bread board). Cut the dough into two large pieces, then cut each piece in half until you have 12 pieces. They won't be the same size. Life's too short to weigh out everything! They will be tiny, that's okay as they will expand as they prove.

Using your fingertips, lightly knock back each piece of dough by prodding all over

then folding, or rolling, each piece into a ball.

Flip it over, place your hands on either side of the ball of dough and shape into a ball again. This seals the seam under the dough.

Make an egg wash (one egg, a few drops of milk and a pinch of sea salt) and wash the top of each piece of dough. Don't throw it away as you'll need it again later. Leave to prove for 2-3 hours. Cover with a muslin and dig out the barbie!

30 minutes before you want to bake the rolls (ie when they have doubled in size), switch the oven on to 200C.

Carefully remove each roll from the work surface and place upon a floured baking tray. Wash once again with egg wash and into the oven. 10 minutes at 200C.

After 10 minutes, turn the trays around (for an even bake) and reduce the oven temp to 180C. Bake for another 5 minutes.

You don't want to burn the sliders, but you do want a lovely rich crust!